NHRA Hot Rod Reunion - Reunion Truckers

Any gathering of vintage hot rods will include a healthy dose of trucks. If that gathering centers on some of the best vintage drag racing in the world, you can bet the trucks will gather in force. With well over 1,500 entrants pouring into the Soff Seal Show ’n Shine there was no shortage of trucks in the show area, but virtually every racer had a support truck, a push truck, and maybe a team member’s own hot rod hauler making the 10th Annual NHRA/AA/Holley Hot Rod Reunion the place to be on Father’s Day weekend.

NHRA changed the format of the reunion a couple of years ago; the event now begins on Thursday and ends Saturday evening with the famed Cacklefest. This gives rodders and racers a chance to make it home for Father’s Day. The three-day event is packed with non-stop action on the track and in the evenings too.

Mix in three great days of Hot Heads-sponsored drag racing at the famed Beech Bend Dragway and you can easily see why this event is on the top of many hot rodders’ “must attend” list. Speaking of Beech Bend Raceway, this dragstrip was originally opened in 1951 and is located in a scenic park setting with an equally vintage Beech Bend Amusement Park just behind the dragstrip. The unique facility is perfect for vintage drag racing with old-school wooden stadium seating under welcomed shade. The seating is very close to the action, making this the perfect way to pass the hot afternoon.

Of course few things can compare to drag racing at night and the final rounds are held Saturday evening and that included some match racing of the Miller Welding and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University jet cars. Finishing off the three-day event was the Cacklefest, a collection of vintage Top Fuel dragsters that filled the night air with noise and nitro.

Next year NHRA is expanding their Hot Rod Reunion to include an all-new Northeast Hot Rod Reunion to be held in New Hampshire in September 2013. It promises to be yet another great event.

Yes, the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is way up on our list of must-attend events and if you attend next year it most certainly will be on yours too. As always, the event will be Father’s Day weekend so plan on joining us for the 11th annual celebration of speed and hot rodding – you’ll be glad you did.

01. And this is what the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion is all about, a great hot rod truck pushing off a vintage Altered down the famed Beech Bend 1⁄4-mile. It simply doesn’t get any better than this.

2/24

02. Well-weathered primer, a set of “trips” rising above the fender, and some great door art define the Rocket Speed Shop truck owned by Bobby Brandog.

3/24

03. Larry and Brandi Davis earned a Top-50 spot with their spotless 1972 Chevy C10. The flawless workmanship and attention to detail makes this understated truck a standout.

4/24

04. Push plates are a common sight on trucks at the reunion. Howard Russell mounted his aluminum plate on the front of his good-looking ’53 F-100.

5/24

05. The E-100 movement is underway; we’re seeing more of these cool Econoline trucks at events across the country. Jerry Bennett’s ’63 Econoline is part of that movement.

6/24

06. James Powell’s 1951 Ford truck appears to be all original with some traditional door art added. This truck would have looked perfect sitting in front of any Texaco station in the ’50s.

7/24

07. The NHRA Hot Rod Reunion has a great swap meet, and we can’t think of a better vehicle to haul home swap meet gold than Nancy and Joe Owens’ Tucson, Arizona-based ’47 panel truck.

8/24

08. Kurt Fontaine’s Ford F-1 is a great-looking truck. Drop it down on the ground, add some ’50s flavor in the form of wide whites and matching pinstriping, and you have a winner.

9/24

09. Typical of the cool support vehicles for race teams is this 1969 Dodge Sweptline pickup. We’d like to think they are heading back to support a Hemi-powered Super Stock car.

10/24

10. Jeff Blanton’s ’48 Chevy has a lot of attitude with the perfect stance and black suede paint. Bright chrome work on the grille and bumper provide a nice contrast.

17. Of course any NHRA event is going to be based on drag racing and the racing was hot and heavy at the Reunion. Wheel standing, tire-smoking action for three days and one night.

19/24

18. At Beech Bend you sit in vintage stadium seats under a cover for comfort and very close viewing of things like an early AA/FX car burning the tires.

20/24

19. The race cars were varied in years and design. This wheelstand Sting Ray reminds us of the days when Corvettes were fair game for racing.

21/24

20. The Addington Speed Shop ’37 coupe pulls the wheels for another hard launch. The Geezer Gassers put on quite a show.

22/24

21. By the mid ’60s, every dragstrip in the country was filled with both privateer and factory teams in the wild super stock classes. This SS/A Dodge is driven by Clay Kossuth.

23/24

22. And then there was the booming performance of the jet cars. Few shows on a dragstrip can compare to these wild race cars. Marisha Falk pilots the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University jet dragster. And just like that the weekend was over and it was time to head for the gates, but we’re betting that Hot Rod Reunion 11 will be bigger than ever; the show is simply that good.